Longstone Edge

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Longstone Edge
Longstone Edge shown within Derbyshire
OS grid reference	SK217735
District	Derbyshire Dales
Shire county	Derbyshire
Region	East Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BAKEWELL
Police	Derbyshire
Fire	Derbyshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
European Parliament	East Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Derbyshire

Coordinates: 53°14′N 1°41′W / 53.24, -1.69

Longstone Edge is a limestone ridge in the Peak District National Park, in Derbyshire, England.

Longstone Edge is situated to immediately to the north of the village of Great Longstone, which is in turn about 3km north of the town of Bakewell. It runs from east to west for about 6km, from the village of Calver to the River Wye at Monsal Dale and is about 1km wide. It rises to about 390m (1300ft) and commands far-reaching views over the Peak District.

It has been, and is, intensively quarried for galena, fluorspar and barytes, and more controversially, limestone. Since Longstone Edge is a noted beauty spot and is located within the Peak District National Park there is strong local pressure for the quarrying to stop altogether.

Some of this quarrying is strictly controlled by the Peak District National Park Authority, but the Authority has been conducting a lengthy legal battle to try to stop other quarries (at Backdale and Wager's Flat) which are operating outside of the authority's guidelines.

In February 2008 the High Court ruled in favour of landowner Bleaklow Industries Ltd, and quarrying at Backdale quarry has resumed. The Peak District National Park Authority is now seeking permission to appeal against that High Court decision. In the meantime, a consortium of pressure groups is campaigning to have the Government buy out the old mineral mining permissions from the landowner.